London Welsh face losing nine points over Tyson Keats affair

Tyson Keats joined London Welsh in August and played in nine Premiership games before his registration was amended. Photograph: Henry Browne/Action Images

London Welsh face losing nine Premiership points unless they can prove to a competitions hearing on Tuesday that they did not incorrectly register their New Zealand-born scrum-half Tyson Keats before the start of the season.

Keats joined the Exiles from disbanded Aironi in August, around the time Mike Scott started work as the club's rugby manager. Scott left the club late last year and faces a disciplinary hearing at a date to be set on a charge of bringing the game into disrepute by allegedly providing false information about the player's registration.

Keats was reportedly registered as English but he was in the country on an ancestry visa as one of his grandparents was born in the UK. London Welsh will argue that the two amounted to the same thing and that the 31-year-old has all along been an England-qualified player.

London Welsh drew the matter to the Rugby Football Union's attention last month after an internal investigation but a question the hearing will ask is why Keats, who has made 14 Premiership appearances for the club, did not play for the Exiles for more than a month after the 1 December victory over London Irish.

Keats missed the league matches against Worcester and Wasps, as well as the Amlin Challenge Cup back-to-back encounters with Grenoble. His name was also not included on an injury update put out by the club on 13 December. His next appearance was on 6 January against Harlequins and only his Premiership matches before that date are relevant to the hearing.

Scott left the club unannounced some time in December. On 7 December, after a defeat in Grenoble, the flanker Mike Denbee posted on Twitter: "Anyone seen Mike Scott? Supposed to be in Grenoble with London Welsh but never turned up. No contact since."

Precedent dictates that Premiership clubs are docked a point for each registration irregularity. As Keats made nine league appearances before his registration was amended, that would amount to nine points. If the three-man panel finds that Keats should have been registered as an overseas rather than an English player, London Welsh would find themselves in two-points-per-match deduction territory.

Exeter were deducted two points two seasons ago for having one too many overseas players in their matchday 23. London Welsh could also face further action from the organisers of the Amlin Challenge Cup, for which Keats was registered but played for only 10 minutes in the opening match at home to Stade Français.

"We will await the conclusion of the Premiership Rugby and the RFU disciplinary procedures involving London Welsh before determining whether any further investigation or action is required," said a spokesman for European Rugby Cup Ltd.

Exeter's Sandy Park ground has been added to the long list of venues being considered for the 2015 World Cup, replacing Bristol City's Ashton Gate, which is set for redevelopment.